Your Complete Guide to Dating Apps in Korea

Dating in Korea can be hard, especially as a foreigner. Whether you want to make new friends or venture into a romantic relationship, these apps might just help you along.

Here at 10 Magazine, we’ve compiled a list of common dating apps in Korea (in no particular order).

Disclaimer: Dating anywhere can be difficult. We’ve compiled this list for those interested in meeting friends and romantic partners through apps, but 10 Magazine does not promote any of these applications. Please use with caution, and remember – stranger danger.

As the name of the app implies, 1km matches you with those located 1 kilometer away from you and your mobile device. An interesting feature of this app is their “culture clubs,” which you can use to meet those with similar interests. A couple categories include a movie club, climbing club, study club, and bicycle club. You can choose to join a pre-existing club, or create a new one that others can join. Keep in mind, there is surveillance for inappropriate behavior on the app.

With Badoo, you match and chat with new people, find people you like nearby and video chat with them. The app prides itself on protecting the safety and privacy of each user. They check each photo and regularly verify profiles to ensure they are appropriate. Once you are a verified user, you can start meeting your potential partner.

Bumble has a unique take on meeting new people, and was created by a former Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe. If you identify yourself as looking for heterosexual match on the app, then the woman has 24 hours to make her first move, after which the man has 24 hours to respond to the initial text. For same-sex matches, either person has 24 hours to text first, and the other has another 24 hours to respond. This app has three different features, each of which is intended to create different kinds of relationships. Regular Bumble is used as a dating app. Bumble BFF is used to make new friends when you’re looking to expand your circle or are new to the city. Bumble Bizz is used to find career opportunities, network, and find mentors.

Tinder is a probably the best-known dating app around. Having started in the States, the app has made its way over to Korea in recent years. Both foreigners and locals use Tinder, and currently, the app’s main spokesperson is Seungri of Big Bang. The concept of Tinder is quite simple. Swipe right on someone you like, swipe left to pass. It’s a match if someone likes you back.

KoreanCupid markets itself as a “leading Korean dating app dedicated to connecting Korean singles with their matches from all around the world.” The app has a quick and easy registration process that allows you to browse through potential partners as soon as possible. You can communicate with your potential partners with their advanced messaging features and receive instant notifications.

Azar allows you to connect with people from over 190 countries. You can meet someone new at the turn of each swipe through live video calls. Originally created to be a language app, Azar allows people to speak to those from all over the world without the concern for language barriers due to its real-time translation feature. You can easily select the region and gender of your preferences and meet new people. Here’s an article about one of our writer’s personal experiences with Azar.

Loyal to its name, Noondate introduces two people to you every day at noon based on your location. Select the person you like and if they like you back, it’s a match. Each user is carefully reviewed based on their appropriate and completed profile before they receive matches. The personal information provided is inputted into the app’s algorithm to find your best match.

With MEEFF, you can find friends or partners to have a language exchange with, tour around Korea, talk about K-Pop and K-Dramas, chat in cute cafes, watch movies, and much more. The app is marketed as a way to meet friends, but people often go on it to find romantic partners as well. You can set preferences on who you want to match with based on age, gender, and language. This app offers a premium chat room which allows you to chat comfortably with others in another language with their automatic translation feature as well as their photo transfer feature.

OkCupid is another popular app amongst foreigners in Korea. It works much like any other online dating site/app, but users are required to answer a series of questions when they sign up. Your answers to the questions will inform the app’s algorithm of who your best matches are and set you up with them. OkCupid attempts to find people you’ll click with and highlight who you are beyond just a photo.

LGBTQ Dating Apps

We also have an article on gay dating apps in Korea for the LGBTQ community. Check out our “Gay Dating Apps in Korea” article for more information!

Thanks for checking out our list of dating apps in Korea. If you’ve had personal experiences with any of these apps and would like to share, or if you feel like we missed a good one, feel free to leave a comment down below!

Below is a video of Big Bang Seungri’s Tinder advertisement:

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